Some politicians block spam accounts on social media. Some block corporations or trolls. But some Arizona lawmakers block their constituents, something First Amendment experts say may be unconstitutional.

A Democratic candidate running for a House seat in Legislative District 13 blamed a hacker for using his Facebook account Sunday to make an inflammatory comment about abortion on the social media site.

Republican Rep. Mark Finchem filed a complaint with the House Ethics Committee demanding Democratic Rep. Mark Cardenas be investigated and possibly punished for writing a Facebook post that criticized Republicans for supporting the budget.

Arizona Democratic Sen. Andrea Dalessandro recently told her Facebook followers that she had something to “CONFESS.” At an interview with the Arizona Daily Star editorial board in September, Dalessandro called GOP leadership at the Capitol “Nazis.”
At an interview with the Arizona Daily Star editorial board in September, Dalessandro called GOP leadership at the Capitol “Nazis.”

Several politicos directed our reporter to Gowan’s campaign Facebook, where the speaker recently promoted the launching of his new campaign website. The post is innocuous enough, noting that readers can “click here to learn more about the campaign and get involved.” But the reaction to the post has been stunningly bad.

Should he stay or should he go? The opinion is narrowly written and legal experts are split on whether it applies to other public figures operating social media sites. But a lawsuit against an Arizona lawmaker aims to find out.
November 19, 2018 , 4:36 pm